Cover Me
As the title of this Substack suggests, it’s about covers. I know, I did a Substack on Album covers a few weeks ago. No, this one is about artists doing covers of other artists songs. To reduce the noise about this, I am going to exclude covers of songs from before lets say 1960. Thats arbitrary but I need a cut off point and thats what I chose.
Honestly, I truly love listening to one artist’s interpretation of another artist’s work. I often wonder if the two factions talk before, during or after the process. Most artists start their careers covering music they love and some stay in that space throughout their careers. Joe Cocker is one artist that comes to mind right away.
Again, this list is incomplete and in no specific order. It’s just some great cover versions of well known and not so well known songs done by others.
I am going to start with Rush and “Mr Soul”. The version they covered was from Buffalo Springfield and Rush kept the psychedelic nature of the song and stamped it with Rush’s power. From what might be one of the best albums of pure cover songs, “Feedback”, “Mr. Soul” sounds just as good today as it did in 2004. The whole album has gems galore and just showed how truly talented this band was.
The next few might set traditionalists heads spinning but here goes:
“Ring of Fire” by Social Distortion. This song kicks up a great song to another level. Social Distortion was very good at reimagining classics and burning through them. I love the original by Johnny Cash but I have to say, this version gets my heart racing and mt air guitar working full time.
The other cover that may not be everyones cup of tea is “Sounds of Silence” by Disturbed. The band gives this classic a spooky, eerie and even creepy feel until they stretch out and all is forgiven. While Simon and Garfunkle had moments of soaring vocals and always great harmonies, “Sounds of Silence” wasn’t meant to be the type of song where either singer stretched. Disturbed turns that upside down. After their version is over, the listener is exhausted.
Another cover worth a listen, and one that is very hard to find is, The Foo Fighter’s version of Darling Nikki performed at the Prince Tribute last year. Never been a big Foo Fighters fan but Dave Grohl puts an awesome spin on this little ditty and his vocals almost make you ache. He can’t possibly play that too many times in a row in concert. Too bad, it’s excellent.
A recently released song for the pandemic is Dave Mason and the Quarantines’ version of “Feeling Alright”. Now, this song has been done so many times by so many different artists it could be considered a “Beaten Classic” (hint, that will be a future column) but, Dave Mason’s original version has always stood out and with a little help from his friends, Michael McDonald, Mick Fleetwood, Sammy Hagar, Tom Johnson et al, they have created a solid version. This a great example of not veering too far off the core material and still coming up with a really good version.
Another example of not veering too far away from the original is Hearts’ version of “Stairway to Heaven” performed for Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at the Kennedy Center Honors a few years back. Proves that Heart always could rock with the best of them. Ann Wilson’s vocals are still strong and the whole band is as tight as ever.
To slow it down for a second, Jeff Buckle
y’s version of Leonard Cohen’s classic “Hallelujah” stands apart. I have to admit I actually like Buckleys interpretation better than Cohens. Blasphemy you say. I say, it’s just easier to listen to Buckleys version than Cohens. It’s intense and personal without shutting you out.
Originally, this next version was not one of my favorites but I heard a different version on Sirius XM and it changed how I feel. “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith and Run DMC is unusual in the sense that the original artist is part of the new version and both genres of the artists are represented. It was overplayed on every radio outlet and was a song that would prompt me to switch to the next station. However, when I heard this unreleased version, it was eyeopening. It was two different bands trying to outshine each other. It was two talented artist rising to a new level. If you can find it, it’s worth a re-listen.
You want to reach down and pull something up you may not want? Listen to Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails. While Cash’s voice at that time was not the strongest, he didn’t need it. This song is about pain and you can feel it in every word. NIN’s version is excellent as well but it really can’t compare.
These are just a few I think that are worth a listen. Granted there are thousands of cover versions out there and we listen to them almost every day and they end up just being background noise and what is the pleasure in that.
I explore, I listen and I share.